WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) today sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Inspector General David Hunt expressing concerns with the apparent erosion of the Inspector General’s independence by FCC action.
“The Committee on Energy and Commerce seeks information on the internal processes and procedures that govern the relationship between the Office of the Chairman and the Office of the Inspector General," write Upton & Walden. “There is growing concern that because the FCC Inspector General is appointed by, reports to, and is under the general supervision of the Chairman of the Commission that the IG is not free to provide the honest and independent criticism that is critical to the performance of the IG’s oversight."
A recently released IG report into the disclosure of the non-public information - specifically, a compromise agreement among a majority of commissioners to cap the Lifeline program in the hours leading up to the FCC’s public vote. The investigation revealed that FCC Chairman Wheeler authorized the leak of the agreement to the press triggering an outcry from groups opposed to a cap on the program.
Ultimately, the sole Democratic Commissioner supporting the compromise withdrew from the agreement in favor of adopting the chairman’s proposal after a long-delayed vote. And yet while the IG identifies the chairman’s office as the source of the leak and acknowledges the “unusual" circumstances surrounding the deliberations, the IG found “no evidence" that the information the chairman deliberately provided to the press was done so in an attempt to unduly influence the outcome of the vote.
The members concluded, “In order to address our committee’s concerns regarding the independence of the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the impact on accountability in the FCC’s decision-making and management, we request… information necessary to understand the practical and working relationship between the Office of the Chairman and the Inspector General."
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* Letter to FCC Inspector General David Hunt
